A Blog for Dallas Area Catholics

Update on Fr. Corapi – UPDATED again January 25, 2013

NOTICE: I know Fr. Corapi is still a priest. But in saying below he “left the priesthood,” I mean that he voluntarily left active/public ministry and seemingly “abandoned” the millions of souls who admired him and looked to him for spiritual sustenance.

I got the following update last night from a Montana resident who claims to be in the know. They say Fr. Corapi lives in a gated community in Whitefish, Montana, on Whitefish Lake. He is seen about riding his Harley. He never wears clerics or any religious garb. He is not known to be active in any parish.

He appears to have left the priesthood for good. I have known many people who held out pious hopes that he would turn up in a monastery somewhere, offering prayer and penance. That isn’t likely to occur. He seems to be very happy with his millions and his secular life.

He needs as many prayers as can be spared. Obviously, he was an enormous target for satan. His fall scandalized millions of faithful Catholics. It is likely that many – probably thousands or tens of thousands – experienced total or near total loss of faith after his ministry collapsed. That’s a sign of a cult of personality gone out of control.

He was very famous. He had all kinds of money. He had a history of addictions and other problems (maybe – there are allegations much of his famous life story was fabricated). Those were all avenues for satan to come in and peel him away from his vocation, and the Faith. It appears that is what happened. I am told, it started with his stopping his Breviary because he was “too busy.”

All of the above is anecdotal. It was conveyed to me by someone who lives in the area. I cannot confirm it, but it would seem to make sense. There were details given that would seem hard to make up.

The main point was that he’s still living in his big house on the lake.

One last point, just opinion, from me – he fell into something bad a few years before the allegations surfaced – we all saw his behavior and appearance change around 2008 or 9 – blacksheepdog.us was an attempt to keep income flowing after he left the priesthood, but it wasn’t generating much, so he shut it down and walked away.

UPDATE: Before you freak out and accuse me of being a Corapi-hater, a mainstream media apparatchik, or anything else, please search the site for Corapi. I think you’ll find I defended Corapi for a long time. I think you’ll also find that I was a big fan of his. But sometimes we have to face reality, and the reality is that he chose to leave the priesthood. And that fact scandalized many. But, yes, he was a voice that many were dying and needing to hear. He gave sustenance to pious souls who were in parishes and even dioceses where orthodox presentations of the Faith were not available. And those were really good things. But they are colored by the end of his apostolate and his leaving the priesthood voluntarily, without much of a fight.

UPDATE II: Look, folks Corapi himself talked about living in a house on a lake. He talked about owning a boat and having a boat dock. He talked about having a Harley. He talked about having a personal trainer, “Gina,” whom he saw everyday. So, as far as any “revelations,” or “gossip,” there were three: one, he lives in a gated community, one of many in Montana, two, he is still there, and three, he stopped praying his Breviary first. That’s it. If you want to call that “gossip,” go ahead, but almost all of what I said, Fr. Corapi himself had already confirmed. This post here at another blog describes in detail what I heard when I saw Fr. Corapi at the AT&T Center in San Antonio in fall of 2010. I heard all the same things this blogger reports – the big house, the lake, the boats, the Harley, the guns. That was most of what he talked about.

Another UPDATE: I disagree strongly with Mark Shea, who has linked this post, that those who had an admiration for Corapi were deluded conservative Catholic hero-worshippers. A small percentage might be characterized as such, but I think the vast majority of those who listened to or watched Corapi over the years were people desperate for spiritual sustenance they did not get from their local parish. That is one of the reasons for the cult of Saints – to give the pious someone to look up to, to imitate and follow as a spiritual example. Some people also look to living Catholics, especially clergy and religious, as such examples of holiness for both catachesis and spiritual edification. All faithful Catholics must, and I think, do, look to Christ as the ultimate. But since Christ was God Incarnate, and possessing all the infinite beneficences of God, some find the need for examples of a holy life among those who are not Divine. Many Saints have spoken on the need for such good example from the clergy – Pope St. Pius X held that it was critical for the local priest to be a supreme exemplar of moral and spiritual virtue. Tragically, many good Catholics today don’t have such an example in their parish, and possibly even very few in their Diocese. Many have been scandalized and even radicalized by the homosexual rape crisis in the priesthood and ongoing sexual depravity in Dioceses like Miami. So I don’t blame them in the slightest in developing a devotion to a priest or other Catholic who provides that sustenance they so badly need. That was a role Corapi filled admirably for years. It is to Mr. Shea’s discredit that he cannot but demagogue those whom he disagrees with – all the while he performs that same role of exemplar for other souls, himself.

As far as the character Mr. Shea describes, there have been two three (don’t make this number go up!) commenters who reacted with anger to what is admittedly a non-confirmed revelation – if it even is such. The vast majority have reacted with concern for Corapi and sadness at how his aposolate ended. I have not been disedified by the anger – I imagine it reflects profound hurt. It is very difficult to realize that those whom we looked up to have let us down.

I almost sense a protestant view from Mr. Shea – that our soul focus should be on Christ and we should never look to mere humans for any spiritual guidance and support. I’ll do that as soon as he shuts down his blog and stops writing books, making speaking tours, stops the radio, etc.

Michael, Thanks for pointing that out. Father Corapi never attacked the Church in his teachings. He defended the Church. His CCC series (commissioned by Sacramento Diocese? not sure) was orthodox. He was attacked by charges from that woman who claimed she had sex with him. She was an adult. If her charge were true, it was consensual. She was not raped. She was an adult. She was not a victim, so she shouldn’t claim pedophilia.

Tantumergo is right. Mark Shea has no idea how foolish he looked for thinking only deluded conservative Catholic listened to Fr. Corapi. I know my faith and was elated to hear Fr. Corapi preaching it. Had Shea listened, he would have learned something about the faith – not diluted semi-protestant faith.

I also stopped reading a prominent woman Catholic blogger after that because she pretended she’s never heard of Fr. Corapi. She was so elitist, so intellectual, so holier-than-thou that she’s never heard of him? Please.

I’m posting not so much to defend Fr. Corapi but to point out that Mark Shea was wrong in this case. He was wrong on the Voris case, too. And wrong in canonizing a gay man for being active in his parish. Catholic and enjoying it? – Really, Mark Shea is always pissed! Gag him.

Since your info IS ALL “Anecdotal”, then you’re NO better than the Main line Media for printing it! You’re missing something here…He was the ONLY one speaking out!! People were converted * & listened .because his “teachings” were Anointed by the Holy Spirit!! I’m 71 & have been Sober from Alcohol since 1969, probably longer than you’ve been alive. People Listened to him because we were STARVING for Authentic RC teachings. The “Cult of Personality” is a Dangerous place for ANYONE who claims to write for, speak about, the “Condition” of the Church. That includes You! John Corapi was Chosen by the HS for a time & place with a desperate need. How dare you criticize that choice..I belong to a LARGE group who does nothing but fast & pray for this Servant of God! He’s NOT a Saint, & he never claimed to be. I watched his “fall” from the inception, because I have the same DISEASE he has!! I could tell through the TV, because “it takes one to know one”, no matter how long I’ve been sober! But for the Grace of God, there go I. And, I promise you, if you don’t post an apology for posting 2nd-4th hand gossip, “There go you!” You have NO idea what he’s been through! I can only imagine…after 40 yrs of trying to get through to Bishops & “Feel Good” priests who should have been honest enough to leave. But, the Laity Wanted that kind of clergy!

If I had 50 fans, I might worry about the cult of personality, but since I don’t, I’m not too concerned just yet.

I’m a recovering addict, too.

Fr. Corapi may have done a great deal of good. I hope he did. He certainly said things that many pious souls wanted to hear. I wanted to hear it.

I think I made clear that what I presented was anecdotal. Take it for what you will.

And if you saw the fact that Corapi was falling back into active addiction – which I feared, as well – then why are you so upset when I present evidence that he’s still doing exactly what you thought he was doing in the first place?

Please don’t jump to conclusions. I spent a great deal of time defending Fr. Corapi on this blog. But the truth remains the truth. He has abandoned the priesthood. The person I got the revelations from is a very holy and traditional priest from Montana. He is in the same area as Fr. Corapi.

Search Corapi on this blog and I think you’ll find that I was a very big supporter of his, but facts remain facts, and he fell into some very bad things, from all apparent evidence. Even if all the allegations against him were false, his leaving the priesthood was a fall and a scandal, especially given the stirring call to repent he just gave above!

Sometimes, we have to suffer. Sometimes, that is God’s Will. Many Saints suffered far more than Corapi would have suffered even if every allegation was false. But he had no interest in doing that, he moved along with his life.

One thing I should have said, but didn’t, was that SOLT bears at least as much responsibility for his fall as the man himself. They turned him loose for decades with essentially no supervision. To then suddenly crack down was setting him up for a fall. But he had his part, as well.

Well, I for one am glad to know he’s alive and doing well. Thank you for the update. I still like him even though he went down the wrong road not too long ago. I think it is sad that in the end he ended up doing what a lot of traditional priests have to do: Fight not only those on the outside of the Church but on the inside as well. However, I still hope that one day he will return.

Funny, Michael and I are good friends. Even more so, that video is posted on this blog, supporting Corapi. But that was before blacksheepdog shut down without a word, that was before he just walked away from the millions of souls who looked to him for support and guidance. I have been asked many times “do you have any news on Fr. Corapi?” I got some news from a source I know to be reliable, so I shared it.

As far as “leaving the priesthood,” that’s a convenient way of saying he’s left ministry. Yes, he’s still a priest unless he’s been laicized – and in such a public figure, Supertradmum, I disagree, his millions of followers have a right to know if he’s still a priest – but he himself described it as leaving the priesthood. As in, he will no longer function like a priest in public, dress like a priest, etc. For all intents and purposes, publicly, he no longer is a priest. Maybe he offers Mass in private for himself – I hope so, but who knows. I’m frankly skeptical at this point. I think he made a very, very public choice – money, or God.

Ahhh … ty for the update; I have to most agree w/ what Woody said. This whole thing just breaks my heart, for exactly what our dear blogger wrote here: that with Father Corapi I was able to bring a Catholic appeal to one former, now very anti, Catholic friend. And, for the record — my name is Jeannee, and I’m a recovering alcoholic.

“It is likely that many – probably thousands or tens of thousands – experienced total or near total loss of faith after his ministry collapsed.”

Then my contention would be that they didn’t have much “faith” in *the faith* to begin with, Tantam.

I pray for Fr. Corapi *every morning* on my way to work (along with. Frs. Stone, Euteneuer, Groeschel, Roberts and others from my own diocese who have gotten themselves into scandalous situations [I know not all of those are the same type of scandal]).

He helped me tremendously to *know* my faith. I went to see him in St. Louis in April 2010 just before his downfall. Even got his autograph on the back of an old EWTN shirt (with countless others affiliated with that apostolate).

When the scandal hit… it bummed me out for a bit.

However, *he* is not the one I follow. I follow our Blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our Lord said there would be scandals that come – and woe to those who cause them (Mt. 18:1-7).

May the Lord have mercy on me for *any* type of scandal that I may have caused towards His “little ones”!

I am so sad to hear about Fr. Corapi as I am sure he must have many regrets that cause much suffering. I also supported him and believe he indeed did fall and how so many were affected by his choice. I hope he knows how much good he did and how loved he was and is now. All who followed him certainly forgive and pray for this man.

Technically, unless Fr. Corapi has been laicized by the Pope, which is a complicated and private process, he has not abandoned his priesthood, which in the Sacrament of Ordination leaves an indelible mark. If he has been laicized, it is between him and Rome and actually, none of our business. If he not, that is between him and God.

Fr. Corapi brought many young men to the priesthood with his weekly presentations on the CCC. If he has fallen, all we need to do is pray for him.

I would agree, if he wasn’t such a public figure with such a large following to apparently a lot of people. Because of that, and because of his proposed (though now dropped) alter apostolate, I think his official status is our business until it is finalized, one way or another. Not to gossip about, but to be aware of, for the sake of prudence.

(Fwiw, I had no idea who he was, until the scandal broke, so I have no horse in this race. But I was very disturbed by what seemed to be a non-reflective, rabid cult of personality, reading the com-boxes on Corapi-related posts.)

I have prayed for Fr. Corapi for years and will continue to pray for him. What happened to him could happen to anyone. There but for the grace of God…
I am confident that he will return one day. When the scales fall from his eyes, our prayers will be there to hold him up.
Thank you for the update. Not a week goes by that I do not search for news of him.

In your hyper-gossippy-hearsay-filled blog I find it mindboggling that not a single word has been mentioned about the Accuser, who after being fired swore revenge, broke into Santacruz Media offices and attacked the office manager, hijacked his website and illegally sold Father’s dvds …these are facts that are actually recorded and witnessed.

Father Corapi taught the Truth, He spread the Good News like Jesus asked. Others, Like Fahter Thomas Keating and Father Richard Rohr, are allowed to attack the Church from within, teaching lies whereever they go. Their Bishop should stop them! I will continue to pray for Father John Corapi and his fall, he needs our prayers.

Totally with you on Keating and Rohr. I’ve hashed out their particular brand of heresy on this site many times, because the new age religious sisters they’ve spawned are very popular for women’s retreats. We’ve had many scandals with that in this diocese.

FYI ‘Mister MIS-informer of Dallas Area Catholics’, Fr. Corapi has not left the Priesthood, he is still a Priest but is not active in Public Ministry, a huge difference..!!
Have you never heard of the Sin of Detraction?
Your blog is full of it.
Father Corapi spoke much on that subject…you would do well to review his dvds, he teaches it sraight out of The Catechism of the Catholic Church… not merely his own opinion.
I would expect this blog from the mainstream media which is hellbent on attacking any Priest, good or bad… just dig up a good old juicy ‘Priest’ story and then wait for the replies…

Ouch! Toni, did you not read this article? The auther makes it clear that;
1. This is all third party, anecdotal, FYI, maybe it’s true, maybe not,
2. We all love and care for, and pray for Fr. Corapi.
3. He made a big difference in many of our lives.

BTW, thanks for the update. Fr. Corapi was a big part of a deeper conversion for me, and he is often on my mind and in my prayers. I occasionally google his name in the hopes for any news on him.

I remember watching Fr. Corapi when I just came back to the church in 2009. I was still at crossroads with church and Christ. Fr. Corapi helped me, along with other priest’s to understood the church more deeply. I feel deeply in love with her. I kept watching Corapi. I thought he was fun, bright and preached from his heart. He told it like it was. To some he seemed to be almost like “rock star” status. I could see that lots of people were putting him on this very high pedestal.
If Corapi was speaking truthful about his addiction problems then once again he has fallen into addiction.This time his addiction is to fame. Having this type of addiction brings all other kinds of addictions, as we can all see with certain actors, actress, along with the powerful and rich, but as a priest, especially Corapi, he knows better. According to Corapi has been through these addictions before, therefore, he knows to turn his back on evil. If he finds it hard to resist he can easily reach out to his community. He is not the first priest to fall. Many have fallen and many have gotten back up. Why didn’t he just turn away…..because he didn’t want to. Evil is everywhere…just take a look around you. We are all human, but when you decide to become a priest you take many oaths.
I believe Corapi knew what he was doing was wrong, and made the decision to play both sides thinking he would not get caught.
“A man cannot serve two Masters”. It looks like Corapi chose greed as his Maser.

[…] waned, I haven’t paid any attention. But people still write me now and then wondering. The closest thing to news is this little thingie that popped up, but it’s not really anything … Mostly what it tells you is not anything about Corapi that you wouldn’t already surmise from […]

You are disgusting for spreading this garbage! Do you know how dangerous it is to spread something you are not sure of? This is gossip!!! Remove it!!! I am sick and tired of “bloggers” acting like they are in the know…the only thing they do is spread rumors like wildfire. YOU ARE A CANCER TO THE CHURCH!

I just do not understand your anger and cursing. The author made it clear that this was 2nd hand information, why he trusted his source and that this post is in reply to repeated inquiries. He was totally clear about what he was posting and why. The fact that Fr. Corapi himself, in what he has said and not said about these matters—really is what speaks the loudest. That Fr. Corapi is observed in public, not dressed in clerics, riding a Harley and not involved in local parishes is there something incredulously hateful if this is all true?

I benefited from the teaching of Fr. Corapi over the years and even made the effort to go to hear him in person. It is beyond sad that his actions are a scandal to the faith of many that relied on him and attracted disgrace to our Church. I do not track a list of the charges against him, I do not need to, I only know that many in the Church, in a position to know found credibility in charges. How did Fr. Corapi react? Did he humble himself to Church authority, as his priestly vows would require? Or did he lash out and then withdraw/reject his vows? He has indicted himself by his own words and actions to me. I admired the man I thought he was, but now I only feel sad for him and for those of us that relied on his teachings. But Christ remains.

Thanks for the comment. Very good. That’s what people tend to forget, Corapi was given a choice. Having read some noted Saints, like St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori and Bonaventure, both counsel that the heart of sanctity is obedience. Now, one can argue that the process in the Church – especially in this country – for priests accused of sexual activity or abuse is very broken, that the Dallas policy is unjust, but choosing to walk away, it’s just hard a reconcile with so many of the same things Fr. Corapi taught so well for so long.

You can say it’s gossip. I was told this by a priest I’ve known for years that is a Montana native and has beena priest there for 7 years. He has personally seen, and knows others who have seen, Corapi riding around on his motorcycle. As for the house, Corapi himself talked about living on a lake and having a boat. The only “revelation” is that he lives in a gated community. All I did was confirm what Corapi has himself already stated, and give an update that he is still there.

While I understand the desire to share any “breaking news” about the whereabouts of Fr. Corapi, I don’t think the information you have shared with us is of any relevance. I too have heard about Fr. Corapi from someone who lives near him…and yet his description of the life Fr. Corapi is living is very different from the one you were told! So where does that leave us? None of us really knows what is going on with Fr. Corapi and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. We have absolutely no proof that Fr. has left the priesthood, that he is in the process of being laicized, or anything like that – so it’s reckless to throw that out there. While I have no idea of the state of Fr. Corapi’s religious life, personal life, or soul, I do know that he has been hunted and attacked like no other. The rabid wolves (within the Church and “Catholic” media) that came out to destroy him as soon as this story broke speaks for itself. I’ve never seen the well-publicized pedophile priests, raging homosexual priests, and blatantly heretical priests attacked by the crowd who went after Fr. Corapi so fiercely. A man’s enemies reveal a lot about a man….and judging by Fr. Corapi’s enemies, he must have done something right to incur such wrath from the people who have tried to subvert the Church.

Please share, what is Corapi doing, then, that is different from what I said? Is he living in hairshirt in a cave offering penance for the Church and sinners like me? I’d love it if he were. I would love to report that. But I don’t think it’s the case.

Wow. That’s a disturbing response. You probably consider yourself a decent Catholic in communion with the Church and in a state of grace….does that mean you’re living in a cave wearing a hair shirt? So I guess Fr. Corapi can only be characterized as one extreme or the other…if he’s not proven to be a hair shirt wearing cave-dweller, then he must be an addicted, greedy scoundrel. I choose not to reveal what was said regarding Fr. Corapi because #1 the person who said it did not intend for it to be blasted out over the internet and #2 any specifics I would give would be as unverifiable as what you have given. Just one more note. The source to whom you spoke was very focused on Fr. Corapi’s material situation. Does this source (and do you) fret as much about the luxuries the overwhelming majority of our bishops – and indeed many of our priests – enjoy? How do you feel about the fact that so very many priests live not in rectories but own their own houses, condos, vacation homes? How do you feel about D.C. Cardinal Wuerl’s well-publicized collection of fine art? What do you think about NY Bishop Murphy’s kitchen? (Google it) What about all the palatial residences of our bishops? Will you be devoting upcoming blog posts to exposing the lavish lifestyles of our clergy?

“The rabid wolves (within the Church and “Catholic” media) that came out to destroy him as soon as this story broke speaks for itself. I’ve never seen the well-publicized pedophile priests, raging homosexual priests, and blatantly heretical priests attacked by the crowd who went after Fr. Corapi so fiercely. A man’s enemies reveal a lot about a man….and judging by Fr. Corapi’s enemies, he must have done something right to incur such wrath from the people who have tried to subvert the Church.”

Thanks for trying to give us some recent news about Father Corapi, but I totally agree with C.M. Until I learn factually otherwise, I presume Father Corapi still is an active priest, offering up his sufferings for the Church that was so quick to turn on him and try to crucify him, and if he’s riding his Harley, he’s praying the Rosary as he does so. As C.M. and others have pointed out, what he’s accused of doing totally pales in comparison to the disgusting heretics and scandal-mongers still parading about in the Church completely unassailed and even praised. The devil indeed knows who he has to destroy and who he leaves alone to further his work. These facts tell us everything we need to know really.

And I will be eternally grateful to Father Corapi for giving me a greater understanding of and appreciation for the Faith and the Church, and I am so happy that I had the foresight to record so many hours of his work while I could, and that continue to help me and others.

Finally, Mark Shea is a bloviating, sanctimonious, self-agrandizing “catholyc” protestant trying to pass himself off as the real deal, and another useful idiot for the devil..

I think it is a healthy discussion to have on how to handle the disappointment of losing a priest who inspired many of us. I don’t think I ever heard Father Corapi teach unorthodoxy in any form even as his private life became a problem. Now I don’t what is true or not about his personal anecdotes but he was a charismatic speaker and when he held court on theological matters he always seemed to get it right to my ear. I was sad over the news of his conflict with his superiors and apparently his conflict within. I didn’t have any facts so I didn’t feel I could comment either way on whether the good father had gone bad. Now it seems clear that there was truth behind the allegations and for that all I feel is sadness. I would feel the same way if something negative came out about Mark Shea’s personal life- I like Mark’s writings on most things and haven’t read anything unorthodox in his theology as far as I could discern. So, having an affinity for the old Father Corapi and Mark Shea may seem counterintuitive- but it made sense for me. I don’t relish more bad news about Fr. Corapi, but I hope and pray for him to come back, come clean, and bring his obvious gifts back to the service of Christ and Church. I am one who would love to welcome him back and forgive- again for me it was about the theology and the ability to motivate- the Faith doesn’t go away if Father Corapi fails in his personal life- he often warned that it wasn’t over until it was over- especially for him. That’s true for all of us. So let’s pray for everyone to hold onto the Faith and pray for mercy for all lost or losing souls- for there but for the grace of God go I.

I would argue that what Mark Shea does on a nearly weekly basis with respect to Catholic teaching is far more damaging than anything Father Corapi was accused of doing, all the more damaging, since he does it with the tacit approval of an ecclesiastical newspaper.

Nice try. None of it is “sinful,” but it does confirm that he is not engaging in any kind of ministry or any special penance that some had hoped he might be doing in his new seclusion. He’s living his secular life, that’s it.

Much ado about nothing and certainly none of my business. One day, Fr. Corapi was on EWTN television and radio, the next he was gone and without much explanation it seemed, from EWTN. I can appreciate and respect this approach. Through other sources, including one extremely vocal former evangelical blogger who shall go unnamed, I learned much more than I cared to know about the personal life of said priest. Let us drop it, folks, and mind our own houses.

Great reminder. Thank you. The only “update” was that things remain pretty much as they stood a year and a half ago – there hasn’t been any secret reconciliation or change in lifestyle or anything like that.

I have spoken with dozens of people who wanted to know if anything changed, I got some information that, no, it hadn’t, and that was the update.

Corapi’s been warped for as long as he’s been around. An ego that required ordination by a Pope. Turning to petty hustling splitting the take 50/50 with local parishes for “missions”. Commencement of a media business outside church structure. Aggressive marketing aimed at income, even a 900 prayer for pay phone line. Choice of a lax community without experience in supervising priests. Exaggerated personal stories about contact with evil forces. Leaving his buddy, father L, alone to hang after advising him to destroy evidence. This guy isn’t the sheep dog, he’s been the wolf. He’s got one hell of a burden to carry to judgment day. He single handedly destroyed the faith of thousands. Better a millstone around his neck than what awaits him.

It’s possible to look back on Corapi’s career and assume the whole thing was a grift, an attempt to make great wealth off the faithful, but I don’t think that’s reasonable. I think he had honest intent but lost his way in a community that utterly failed to supervise him even slightly. Because he brought that community great notoriety so long as his star shined very brightly. When they tried to rein him in – and there are lots of problems there – he bolted. I know the provincial for SOLT and the order well, and it is an order that really needs some close supervision from the Congregation for Religous Life. If not something more severe and permanent.

Who would go through all those years of seminary and get himself ordained a priest just to take the faithful for the ride of their life?

No. I am convinced that at one point something went very wrong.
In any event, it is a tragedy. God have mercy on Fr. Corapi and on each one of us, and let this be a lesson to us to be on our guard, and never think that we’ve got it made. Our salvation must be worked out in “fear and trembling”.

Concur. Even though some parts of Corapi’s famous life story have been challenged, it’s pretty unlikely he was always in it for a con. 8 years at seminary, then a number of years when he couldn’t have been making much…..it would be a long con of ridiculous proportions. I don’t believe it. He always seemed very genuine and upright up until about 2009, then things began to change, rapidly. But that would mean like a 15 year con. I doubt it. And most of his money came from the legal settlement having nothing to do with his vocation.

I hope I am not muddying the waters here, but your assumption of the SOLT order needing more supervision seems like an astute observation. About four years ago I attended a men’s retreat led by a priest from SOLT (not Fr. Corapi), and it was an awesome retreat. I would prefer to leave this priest’s name out of this, but I think he left the SOLT about two years ago, since I found out not long ago that he has a secular job in another state. He was a good priest too, and he seemed committed and proud to be a priest.

Dennis – First, yes, Emergency was awesome. And i know it played a big role in getting EMS programs accepted nation-wide. If nothing else, Jack Webb deserves much thanks for that.

Writing what I know on SOLT would take a dedicated post. It’s an order that has had weak to nonexistent leadership for a long time, and which has allowed a great deal of free-lancing. One of their more well-known priests just sort of died or disappeared recently.

Fr Mark at C-dom College, and Fr Zachary, who travels the country talking about the Fiat of the Blessed Virgin, are EXCELLENT priests, and without the need for rock-star status.
I hope more priests like them enter SOLT; in years past they would have entered the Legion of Christ, which had its own scandal of course.

I believe Fr. Corapi has entered a dark night. God has a unique plan for everyones sanctification. I suspect his next great epiphany, much like the one that lead him out of bondage the first time, will be to renewed humility through obedience. As Fr. Corapi himself often said; “The Lords ways are far above our ways”. When the Lord says the word, he will be healed.

Shea wrote:I got the following update last night from a Montana resident who claims to be in the know. So apparently you were not there and do not really know if this is true and it appears are only going on gossip from some FRC hater. And if it is true the bible tells us that the LOVE of money is the root to all evil. NOT having money.

Sheila, et al.
If you write a comment that shows that you haven’t read the post correctly- as in Mark Shea did not write this, he only linked to the post here- why should we pay attention to what you have to say?

John A. Corapi owns property in Flathead County, Montana. Property records and tax records for Flathead County are available online. Anyone with an Internet connection can learn Corapi’s mailing and actual, physical address simply by searching the following website:

I rejoiced when I found Fr Corapi via the Internet. I liked his style of tell it like it is orthodox Catholic teaching and bought many of his CDs and loaned them out to friends. At no time did I idolise Fr Corapi, he was the envelope and He was the letter.

I was shocked when the allegations were made known and posted on many blogs that until something definite was said from his order we should not pronounce him either guilty or innocent. His order made a post which left no doubt that John Corapi was guilty as charged. If he had been innocent he would have sued his order to regain his good name – he didn’t. I sometimes Google his name to see if I could find some closure and today I have; John Corapi is living in a gated community in Montanna.

I have packed away all of my Corapi DVDs. Even though they are totally orthodox I can’t bring myself to watch them even though he was probably sincere when they were taped. Two things raised a mild question in my mind before all of this broke – his Advent DVD was a poor one; it seemed to be cobbled from many of his other DVDs and didn’t really speak about the season of Advent and the second thing concerned an appearance he was supposed to have made at an EWTN family event; the reason he didn’t appear in person sounded sus to me but I thought it was just me being hypercritical.

I was surprised that he was reported to have stopped praying his breviary because he was too busy because many times he related the Mother Teresa story when she told a priest who said he was too busy to pray. “Father, if you’re too busy to pray, you’re too busy.”

I agree with some of the posters that there are priests out there with large followings who are heterodox and seemingly untouchable. The scandal and damage to the Faith that priests like John Corapi and heterodox priests with large followings is incalculable. I feel sorry for those people whose Faith has been shaken and would counsel them to fix their eyes on the barque of Peter and the teachings of the Magisterium and not confuse the envelope with the Letter.

Oh I am so tired of infallible bloggers who know better than God about everything. As someone who has been to Fr. Corapi’s home, he does not live on a lake, though there is one some distance away, he does not live in a gated community, he lives in an isolated property which has needed security, and he shut down his website not because he was losing money but because a coterie of other infallible “Catholic” bloggers began to attack his MOTHER and he did the decent thing to spare her the pain. This “anecdotal” blog is so irresponsible as to be sinful.

Ummm……that’s ridiculous. I wallpapered the post with statements that what I was told was anecdotal, that it could be wrong, to take it for what it was, an unverifiable claim. Give me a break. If you know so much, why don’t you give an update? There are thousands of people visiting this site alone that would love to know what’s “really” going on with him.

If Corapi is conducting a life of great moral virtue and striving to serve the Church in some way I know many would be very gratified to hear it. I don’t know many who wanted to see Fr. Corapi fall. I was always a big fan. It was very sad to see him leave his order and terminate active ministry as he did.

Ok because he is not wearing his clerics, rides a motorcycle, and is not seen at any parish you imply what?

He is a priest he can celebrate Mass in the privacy of his home. Pray the Liturgy of the Hours in his home. As he did when he was actively preaching. When he was preaching he did not belong to any parish.

I saw Fr Corapi live twice, I was a big fan as I discovered my faith after spending 10 years living as a pagan. His fall didn’t have much effect on me and in fact I’m more into my Catholic faith now than ever, i am a bit leery of the tv priests as they often seem to fall, several on EWTN have in the past.
i’m also much more into traditional Catholic mass and teachings and Fr Corapi was perhaps a gateway for me into that. If there are no good role models in saintly priests today then we need only read about Father Solonus Casey or read the sermons of the Cure of Ars. One thing Fr Corapi can’t be faulted for is love for and pointing people in the direction of The Blessed Virgin.
Father Corapi always said “go to your mother”. He may have lied, exaggerated, lived immorally etc etc but he was 100% correct when he urged us to do this. God alone will take care of His priests, our job is t pray for them.

William Harcourt, there is no mystery as to where John Corapi lives. Property records and tax records in Flathead County are a matter of public record. Those records, which will also tell you where Corapi docks his yacht, are available online. To wit:

Tantumergo: I don’t think those who admired Fr. Corapi were deluded. I think those who continued to defend him, to call his accuser a lying slut, his bishop satanic and people like you vicious liars when it became obvious he was a liar and a fraud, were and are deluded. They helped neither him, nor themselves, nor the gospel by indulging this hero worship that blinded them to reality and made them false accusers of innocent people–just as some of them have been falsely accusing you in the comboxes above.

I get your point. I think a lot of people were very wounded by the ordeal and probably lashed out at the messenger. The whole thing is sad. All I was really trying to do was to confirm that things seem to be where they stood in fall of ’11, but that was apparently too much for some folks. Thanks for the link!

I love Father Corapi, he needs are prayers and in a way I’m glad he’s on our minds, even if we aren’t charitable about it.
Mr. Shea, there is something about you that I just can’t put my finger on, but …. I will pray for all of us Catholics to persevere.

He quit his lifelong vow of obedience, abandoning the promise he made prostrate on the floor of St. Peter’s to Blessed John Paul, because he feared how criticism would affect his mother? What gooey rationalization and self-deceit! And you just sat their nodding at it. Some friend of his you must be! Perhaps you should tell us about his private chapel and the daily masses he must be saying, about his ceaseless devotion to the breviary, about how all of this is actually part of secret mission assigned by the Vatican, or part of God’s plan for his redemption or to strengthen our faith. Sure. When this man was tested, he folded – not exactly the hallmark of sainthood. When accused, he never made any unqualified denials, but elliptical approximations that smelled like denials but were not. Facing the most scandalous of accusations, he asserted only that what he did was not “inappropriate”. If you know this man well enough to have visited his retreat and if you care about him, you need to tell him about the permanent character of Holy Orders and the permanency of his vows. He still holds the card that leads to his redemption and is capable, through humility, to bring many to faith, and perhaps to create the most enduring stories of sanctity of all time. My bet is that he will never use that card because, more fundamental in assessing who Corapi truly is than doctrinal orthodoxy, is his constitutional instability as a human being. In the end, he is always about Corapi first and foremost, a most mercurial being, and not about the unchanging ways of God. He tells himself that he has ended the “Catholic period” of his life, just like Salvador Dali did. He is nothing and nobody without Christ Incarnate, no one that any public cares about, and that gnaws at him every day. May God have mercy on his sorry soul, and through the incarnation and crucifixion and resurrection, lead him to final repentance and salvation.

Wow. I thought about asking some of the same things, but then I thought, what’s the point? I’m unlikely to change his views. Given his comments on other blogs, he doesn’t seem very open-minded. And given how he totally went off on a very mildly worded post.

Whomever wrote this article mischaracterized Mark Shea. He doesn’t believe that MOST Corapi fans were hero worshipers. There was a fairly large number and percentage of hero worhipers if you looked at all the comments on the articles and Sheepdog web site during the debacle. Shea also doesn’t believe we should NEVER utilize humans and their speaking and writing about the faith. That is an absurd remark.

Despite admitting that the story above is anecdotal and may in fact be wrong, you certainly agree with its substance. Now that major details of the story are proven false, that he neither lives in a gated community nor on a lake.

It also must be enough to be a Corapi fan to simply have at least some concern for accuracy and truth. As for 1,000s leaving the Church because of this, do you have proof?

All we’ve had so far is hearsay and some unsubstantiated accusations, no?

Because one commenter claimed he doesn’t live on a lake it’s now disproven? I asked him to follow up but he didn’t do so. Did you ever think that someone speaking casually might use the term
“lives on a lake” to mean “lives very near a lake with lake access?” Could it be possible that the elaborate security confused the priest who told me this into thinking it was a gated community? I don’t know about where you live, but where I live some places that claim to be gated communities aren’t very gated. There are many possible explanations. You’re funny, Tancred, you once linked me in a previous story defending Corapi back in ’11, I think. Or you came and gave me props, I’m too worn out of this to go digging to find out. But now that I put something up – even something so extravagantly caveated as this post – it’s too much for you, and out come the knives. As for the Flathead county site, I couldn’t navigate it to find anything out about Corapi’s property, nor anything listed under what the Stolen Valor people established as his birth name, Ronald Garvey.

There are some people who are simply never going to accept that he did anything wrong, nor that he let souls down. So be it. As I said in the post, people can take this admittedly unverifiable claim for what they will. It seems you take it very personally.

As for souls scandalized out of the Faith, read the comments. I personally know several folks whose faith has either collapsed or been dramatically weakened by the Corapi affair. Writ large, that means that likely thousands of souls have suffered similarly.

If he did anything wrong, then prove it. Even if Father Corapi lived in a “gated community” which he doesn’t, or had a house “by a lake” which he doesn’t and drives a Harley, it wouldn’t be reason to condemn him. Many priests are thrown out, or hounded out, of their ministries for various reasons while there is a much more significant number of priests who should be thrown out but aren’t.

And as to the numbers of people who’ve allegedly left the Faith over this, I can only say that a few anecdotes in comboxes don’t make “thousands”.

You’re operating under a fatal fallacy. You’re assuming I’m damning Corapi. I’m not. I’m just saying what we already knew is still operative, that nothing has changed from when we last heard from the man himself. If some details are off, I’ll follow up if need but, but the basic point was that Corapi hasn’t secretly gone off to a monastery or reconciled with SOLT or anything else I’ve heard people hope for again and again. The person I spoke with claims to have seen him around the Kalispel/Whitefish area a number of times. He’s also a priest up there and knows of none others who see him in any ministry. Maybe he offers private Mass himself, maybe he doesn’t – but he’s not functioning in any public way as a priest, catechist, advisor, lay member of a parish, or anything else.

I’m not sure how accurate our information is but I looked up Father Corapi’s supposed address. This information seems pretty accurate since it came from a Montana government records site. I plugged the address into Google Maps and it doesn’t look like there is a lake too close. There is a wetlands park about a mile up the road but the closest lake looks somewhat far away. As for the house itself, it seems big (about 2100 sqft I believe but it doesn’t sound like a mansion to me). I also did see some shots of what I believe is his house on one of his Black Sheepdog videos. It looked somewhat nice but it didn’t strike me as extravagant, (as an aside, my brother bought the video and we were pretty disappointed in it. I only say this to show you that I’m not a blind defender of Father Corapi. I’m just trying to report what I know)

I also looked up where Father Corapi keeps his boat (or as someone said, yacht) docked. Again this information came from the same Montana government records web site. It looks like there are some pretty big and pricey boats there but it also looks like there are plenty of small boats as well.

I can’t draw any conclusions from this information. It’s not much to go on at all really. We just don’t know and outside of hoping for the best for the sake of Father Corapi’s soul, I’m not sure how much we should care anyway.

You had more luck than I did. I couldn’t figure anything out on that website. Well, like I said, take it for what you will, I’d be surprised the person who told me just made stuff up but it could be he was misinformed. But what I was told sounded like “I have personal knowledge of this,” not “I heard this.” I’ll try to talk to him again.

Well it could be a mix. Nothing you said was exactly damning and some of it could easily have been misinterpreted (i.e. gated community vs security guards being present etc). And maybe he rides around on his Harley showing off and heading to the bar or maybe he rides around while praying on his way to confession. How can we know? Should we even know? I’ll admit that the curiosity is there for me, otherwise I wouldn’t have stumbled on your site. But what I think we all really want in this situation is for Father Corapi to be right with God. How that happens is now between him and the Lord now that he is out of the spotlight.